Writers are just people who have a whole lot on the inside that they need to get to the outside, with pen and paper as their preferred method of transport. Same with dancers, artists, and singers - all the same urges with differing transportation. ~Graycie Harmon

In my last packet of work I wrote to my adviser that I was having problems writing the tough stuff, there are some things you want to write that just aren't pretty but you still want the story told. Hurtful feelings, loss, pain, death are all familiar themes in poetry; doing it well without sounding maudlin is challenging. Poetry is a way to connect with people and we all share common experiences. When I went to Tempe in the spring I brought one of those poems and the teacher said "this poet is not ready to deal with his or her feelings yet, the emotion is too raw so they just let the end drift off". Yep, that's what I did.

I tried to work with that poem in the last three weeks but I kept wanting to write the pretty stuff. Yet, I can't forget that poem. Today set the timer for 10 minutes and brainstorm about the tough stuff. What things are so difficult to write about that you keep pushing them back? If anyone is an example of this it would be Anne Frank...she said "I want to write but more than that I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart..." The good stuff and the painful stuff. Now get back to work!